The first week of June marks the launch of Amina Ghali's Spring/Summer Collection 2011. The 25-piece jewelry collection is Ghali's fifth creative spree, and will be available in all Azza Fahmy stores. Ghali is, in fact, the daughter of well-established designer Azza Fahmy, and she is well on the way to becoming an influential trend setter in her own right. In her new collection, she embraces tribal art while sticking to the feel of her existing brand. The collection flirts with many tribal cultures, including African, Nubian, Indian, Afghani, Himalayan, Tibetan and Navahoe. “The collection is my attempt to be in line with the new global trends,” says the young designer. “It is a neo-tribal collection, and merging colors, clustering and using tassels are some of the new trends I used.” The designer explains that every item includes elements of various tribal arts, although some have a distinctive and identifiable flavor, among them a bangle that is inspired by a 250-year-old Indian bracelet. The collection includes five gold pieces and incorporates several semi-precious stones, including tourmaline, onyx, topaz, tanzanite, amethyst, and citrine. “I used semi-precious stones, as I had to keep the price range in mind,” explains Ghali. The clustering trend is obvious in most necklaces, and especially in the smoky topaz one. “I used around 15 types of semi-precious stones in one of the necklaces. I wanted to prove that not everything is uniform," says Ghali. The most challenging part of any collection, says the designer, is transforming the initial concept into a tangible item while bearing in mind technical and financial considerations. “It is hard to transform your ideas into that very first sketch,” explains Ghali. “While designing, I have to keep in mind the technique to be used, so as to ensure affordability and speed up production." The result is a range of silver pieces that run from an affordable LE750 to an extravagant LE6000, while gold items cost considerably more. As chief designer of the company, Azza Fahmy monitors and approves all the collections, even those of her daughter. “AF is my mentor; she has 40 years of experience,” says Ghali. Azza herself has created a number of collections with tribal motifs, especially in the late eighties, but each time a collection is launched, a new angle is used. “I'm like my mother in certain areas. I love research and I'm addicted to jewelry books,” says Ghali, laughing. Starting her research in December 2009, Ghali has taken her time in bringing the collection to fruition. She produced the first sketches in 2010 and was still hard at the project a year later. Work was halted during the recent uprising, and so the collection is somewhat late in being launched. While events on the streets may have delayed Ghali's tribal collection, they have also acted as a source of inspiration for the mother daughter team. Two designers have put together a special revolutionary collection of silver and gold pieces titled "Fe Hob Masr" (On Loving Egypt). Amina Ghali's jewelry can be found at all Azza Fahmy stores in Egypt.
